Lovely little friend
What? Something new out on Freund der Familie? Click click ordered. That’s how it goes, every time. Can’t miss. No, wait, you can. If you’re not fast enough. Stuff like this is gone in no time, and not just because of the limited edition of 100. Here’s why:
Production and purity. “Temptation” is as minimal as it gets. An ultra deep kick, a few simple chords, vocals sent through infinite dub space, and… oh, nothing more, that’s it. No gimmicks, nothing added for whatever effect it might add. Not needed here.
Luis Baltes. When you first listen to it, you might just think that the guys must have sampled Bongo Shep again and sent him through their Space Echo. As on “Grau”, right? Nope. Not here. Look up Luis Baltes. German singer and rapper. Hats off, Luis – and Reimut Van Bonn, his partner on this one, this sounds like it’s not just straight from the Caribbean but even like from some time way back.
Mastering. As usual, it’s done by Sven Weisemann (could someone call up Microsoft and tell them to reprogram their autocorrect so it doesn’t turn him into Weidemann all the time? Thank you.). Totally marvellous. If I ever find time to create more music my goal would be to one day be mastered by Sven. Impeccable sound, really.
The remix. Said it before and I will say it again – Mathias Kaden is on a whole different level as Mathimidori. His remix offers a slightly different rhythmical structure but it’s just as deep and dubby as the original. Taking a super minimal masterpiece and giving it a new spin without touching its soul – that’s an art by itself.
Artwork. As always, the cute yellow little 7″ is a pretty one. Brown paper sleeve accurately and carefully stamped “FDF Essentials #1” (could we please make this a really, really long lasting series?) and with a smoking robot (no, that’s not a cigarette). Nice lettering as always, and a whole bunch of stickers took the trip along with the vinyl. Merci.
Impact. It works wonders. Don’t be surprised if you start levitating right above your sofa with a knowing smile, slightly bobbing along with the beat. I think I listened to to this like six times today. Still smiling.
Release for review:
VAN BONN & LUIS BALTES – TEMPTATION EP – FREUND DER FAMILIE – FDF DUBS 01
Buy the vinyl on Bandcamp: Click
If sold out, try to get it on Discogs: Click